Combination chair-cot



Aug. 30, 1966 A. E. PELLICANE COMBINATION CHAIR-COT Filed Jan. 4, l965 INVENTOR ALICE E. PELLICANE BY W, fl/l/mfiflga United States Patent 3,269,770 COMBINATHON CHAIR-COT Alice E. Pellicane, 172 Kathleen Drive, Park Ridge, Ill. Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 423,161 2 Claims. (Cl. 297-106) This invention relates to improvements in combination chair-cot; and more particularly to a chaircot having readily extensible and contractable parallelogram construction including surface contacting support legs for the chair-cot and generally horizontal support surface and/or surfaces spaced above the support legs for supporting an occupant. Other occupant support surfaces include a back rest portion secured by end extensions of a parallelogram, and a chair seat part having a dual function as a foot rest portion.

Prior known combination chair-cots have, when portability and light weight are desired, been of relatively weak construction and accordingly subject to damage. Prior known strongly constructed chair-cots have employed relatively rugged and heavy sliding or folding parts, or both, and have not been readily portable for use both in and outside of dwellings as well as in different rooms of dwellings.

The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages in large part by being constructed of parts which singly are lightweight parts and collectively form a lightweight chair-cot. The parts are arranged so that, in use, certain parts can be moved to positions in which inherent reinforcing characteristics are attained by the function of the several parts tending to strengthen the entire structure. 1

Accordingly, it is a broad object of the invention to provide improvements in combination chair-cot.

Another object in keeping with the preceding object of the invention is to provide a chair-cot constructed of parallelogram construction which is readily extensible and contractable.

A further object in keeping with each of the preceding objects, is to provide an extensible chair-cot having parallelograms of different sizes arranged with relationship to each other and a surface upon which the chair-cot is to be used to provide an occupant supporting surface substantially parallel to and spaced above the surface engaging portions of the chair-cot.

A further object, in keeping with each of the foregoing objects, is to provide an extensible and contractable chair-cot which, when contracted, has supporting flexible means which engage each other in large part and cooperate with parallelogram portions in providing a strong, yet lightweight construction.

A further object in keeping with the preceding objects is to provide a support surface which, when extended, imparts strength to the construction by gravitational forces applied to the occupant support surface.

A further object in keeping with the preceding objects is to provide a back rest portion as an extension of an end of at least one end parallelogram forming framework for the combination chair-cotv A further object in keeping with each of the preceding objects is to provide a seat part which is rotatable to provide a foot rest portion.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will be either obvious or pointed out in the following specification and claims as read in view of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts in each of the several figures.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a chair-cot in a contracted position;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a cot in an extended position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 2 at a reduced scale;

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FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to FIG. 1 and at a larger scale showing a modification of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view of another modification of the invention.

A presently preferred modification of the invention is disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. A combination chair-cot 10 comprises a series of extensible and contractable parallelograms generally indicated by reference characters 12, 14 and 16. Each of the parallelograms is identical in the central portion thereof and subscript letters a, b, c and d associated with the reference characters 14 and 16 pertain to identical components identified with like subscript letters associated with the reference character 12, and accordingly only the parallelogram 12 will be explained in detail.

The parallelogram 12 comprises lower leg portions 12a and which are pivoted together by a suitable eyelet or pin 18, or the like, which permits relative rotation of the legs 12a and 12d therearound. A pair of upper legs 12b and 120 are similarly pivoted together by a pin 20. The left-hand leg portions 12a and 12b are pivotally mounted together on an end of a transversely extending dowel 22. The dowel 22 extends across the chair-cot 10 and connects to an identical parallelogram 12 on the opposite side of the combination chair-cot, FIG. 1. The leg portions 120 and 12d are likewise connected on the ends of a transverse dowel 22. Each of the parallelograms 14 and 16 is likewise pivotally connected to permit extension and contraction of the chair-cot 10 between positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 1, respectively.

Within the upper parallelogram leg parts 12b and 12c are secondary parallelogram legs 24 and 2412 which are likewise pivotally connected together on an end of a transverse extending dowel 22 to similar legs of the parallelogram 12' on the opposite side of the chair-cot 10. The legs 24 and 24b are connected by pivots 25 to the legs 12b and 12c respectively, substantially at a mid-point between the pivots 20 and the transverse dowels 22.

Only the ends of the dowels 22 are exposed to receive the pivot points of the parallelograms, and the entire central length of the dowels 22 is preferably embedded in a foam plastic sheet 28. The sheet plastic 28 is of a suitable thickness to provide cushions at points above the dowells 22 embedded therein. The plastic is of a type which, though foamed and soft in the center, forms a skin by the heat of the mold used in the molding process, which skin has sufficient tensile strength to restrain the chair-cot in the position shown in FIG. 2 when the parallelograms 12, 14 and 16 are extended.

With the legs of the parallelograms extended as shown in FIG. 2 the lower leg parts 12a, 12d, 14a, 14d, 16:: and 16d will contact a floor surface 30, and extending end legs 32 and 34 likewise serve to support the combination chair-cot 10. The weight of an occupant on the sheet 28 will cause gravity force to urge the dowels 22 downward. This action will tension the top surface 28a to provide suitable firmness and distributes support force away from dowel locations. The foamed center 29 of the sheet 10 is resilient and yields under load to impart softness to the surface 28a.

A back rest extension arm 36 of which there are preferably at least two, and a cross piece at the top, not shown, may have a suitable padded cover 38 thereon. A combined seat part and foot rest 40 has a padded surface 42 and is supported to rotate about the dowel 22a. The seat part 40 is provided with a pair of end brackets 44 which may be mounted adjacent ends of the dowel 22a inside of pivot points for parallelograms 12 and 12' in well-known manner.

With the foot rest 40 in the position shown in FIG. 2, an extension 45 is rotated up until the upper surface thereof contacts the bottom surface of the plastic material 23. Such contact between these surfaces serves to arrest the movement of the foot rest portion 40. In addition to this, suitable hooks 46 may be used if desired to further stabilize the foot rest. Thus adapted, forces placed upon the foot rest portion 40 will be resisted by engagement of the bottom portion 45 with the under surface of the blanket 28, as well as by a hook 46.

As shown in FIG. 1, the combination chair-cot is in retracted position and the portion 40 of the combination seat and foot rest is shown rotated in the chair seat forming position. In this position the lower portion 45 is extended to give a support to the back of the calves of the legs of the occupant of the seat. The angle between the portions 40 and 45 of the seat and foot rest part 40 can be different than shown to provide different angles of support of the lower limbs than that indicated in FIG. 1.

Although this preferred modification of the invention may be made in several sizes to accommodate children of different ages as well as adults, the spacing between the dowels 22 may preferably be different than shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. For example, and not in a limiting sense, if a three to four-year-old child is to use a chaircot combination 10, the spacing between the dowels 22 may need only be a few inches. There are a total of six spaces between the seven dowels 22 shown. Thus if the extended position is only twenty-four inches the space would be only four inches between dowels. In the contracted position shown in FIG. 1 there is substantially less spacing of the dowels 22. Accordingly, in small sizes of chairs to be used by young children of small weight, six spaces may be sufficient and comfortable up to age groups of 8 to 10 years.

For larger and heavier children and adults, it is preferred that a construction substantially as shown in FIG. 4 be utilized. In FIG. 4 identical reference characters refer to identical parts described hereinabove. Two pairs of parallelogram legs 50 and 52 are identical to each other and each are connected together by a transverse support dowel 22 identical across the chair-cot as explained hereinabove. The left-most parallelogram arms 50 and 52 are pivoted respectively to the parallelogram leg 1212 by a pivot 54 and the parallelogram arm 52 is pivoted to the arm 24 by a pivot 56. The right-most parallelogram arm 50 is pivoted to the parallelogram arm 50!) by a pivot 58 and the parallelogram arm 52 is pivoted to the parallelogram arm 12c by pivot 60.

The parallelogram arms 50 and 52 are of smaller crosssectional dimension than the above described parallelogram arms 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, and likewise smaller in dimension than the parallelogram arms 24 and 24b so that same will nest between adjacent parallelogram arms when the chair-cot combination is contracted. The parallelogram portion in FIG. 4 is in chair-cot extended position to provide short distances between the several transverse dowels 22 to provide uniform support for a body without excessive spacing between dowels 22. A complete set of parallelograms constructed as shown in FIG. 4, and extended six feet, will provide support from dowels 22 spaced at six inch intervals.

The modification shown in FIG. 5 is similar to that described in connection with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. However, the modification of FIG. 5 does not have the depending seat part 45, but comprises a more conventional seat 45a which can be provided with hooks such as hooks 46 cooperable with holes 62 in extended arms 64 of the foremost parallelogram forming the sides of the chair-cot combination. The modification of FIG. 5 may be substantially identical in construction to that described above with the exception of the depending part 45 of the seat and back rest combination. Accordingly, in this modification, in obvious manner, the seat part 45a can be rotated through a greater angle than that permitted in the modification described hereinabove. The seat part 45a may be rotated through 180 degrees or more, and be suitably secured by hooks to form a horizontal bed extension or further dropped to form a lower limb support for an occupant of the chair-cot combination when in the chair position.

The dowels 22 of the modification shown in FIG. 5 can be secured in framed plastic, as described above in connection with other modifications. It is to be noted, however, that the support construction of each modification is capable of use with known covering material such as canvas or cloth or plastic sheet, or the like, in known manner.

While I have shown and described in detail a preferred embodiment of my invention, and modifications thereof, obviously other modifications of the invention and other details of construction will occur to those working in the art. Accordingly, I wish not to be limited in my invention only to the specific embodiments shown and described above, but by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A combination chair-cot comprising a plurality of extensible and contractable parallelograms each having four legs, at least some of said legs being common in part with one or more parallelograms, pivot means securing said legs of said parallelograms together for permitting extension and contraction thereof, at least some of said pivot means being in one common plane, and other of said pivot means being in at least another common plane parallel to said one plane, leg portions of some of said legs adjacent one of said planes providing support for said combination chair-cot, transverse support means in alignment with pivot means in the other of said common planes spaced above said leg portions, yieldable means forming a support surface supported by said transverse support means, said yieldable means and said transverse support means being extensible and contractable with said parallelograms, and a rotatable seat part mounted upon a pair of spaced apart pivots and supported by the pivots upon one of said transverse support means, the seat part having a body being arranged to overlie said support surface and having an extension portion disposed at an angle to the seat part body and acting as a leg support for the seat part, the extension portion of the seat part being disposed to engage the underside of said support surface while retaining the body of the seat part in a predetermined angular position with respect to the support surface.

2. The chair-cot of claim 1 including a retaining means for securing the body of said seat part so as to position said seat part body in an angular position with respect to the support surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,141 8/1889 Davis 297- 1,021,360 3/1912 Edstrom 297l6 1,069,804 8/1913 Nordgren 297*16 1,250,697 12/1917 Strug 297-106 1,392,461 10/1921 Struebing 297423 3,043,627 7/1962 Torjusen 297456 3,059,251 10/1962 Pollock 5361 3,111,689 11/1963 Mulhauser 5345 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,749 3/1894 Germany. 27,239 7/ 1909 Sweden. 27,511 10/1909 Sweden. 31,643 10/1911 Sweden. 34,478 3/ 1913 Sweden. 35,792 2/ 1914 Sweden.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. F. K. ZUGEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMBINATION CHAIR-COT COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF EXTENSIBLE AND CONTRACTABLE PARALLELOGRAMS EACH HAVING FOUR LEGS, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID LEGS BEING COMMON IN PART WITH ONE OR MORE PARALLELOGRAMS, PIVOT MEANS SECURING SAID LEGS OF SAID PARALLELOGRAMS TOGETHER FOR PERMITTING EXTENSION AND CONTRACTION THEREOF, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID PIVOT MEANS BEING IN ONE COMMON PLANE, AND OTHER OF SAID PIVOT MEANS BEING IN AT LEAST ANOTHER COMMON PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID ONE PLANE, LEG PORTIONS OF SOME OF SAID LEGS ADJACENT ONE OF SAID PLANES PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR SAID COMBINATION CHAIR-COT, TRANSVERSE SUPPORT MEANS IN ALIGNMENT WITH PIVOT MEANS IN THE OTHER OF SAID COMMON PLANES SPACED ABOVE SAID LEG PORTIONS, YIELDABLE MEANS FORMING A SUPPORT SURFACE SUPPORTED BY SAID TRANSVERSE SUPPORT MEANS, SAID YEILDABLE MEANS AND SAID TRANSVERSE SUPPORT MEANS BEING EXTENSIBLE AND CONTRACTABLE WITH SAID PARALLELOGRAMS, AND A ROTATABLE SEAT PART MOUNTED UPON A PAIR OF SPACE APART PIVOTS AND SUPPORTED BY THE PIVOTS UPON ONE OF SAID TRANSVERXE SUPPORT MEANS, THE SEAT PART HAVING A BODY BEING ARRANGED TO OVERLIE SAID SUPPORT SURFACE AND HAVING AN EXTENSION PORTION DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE SEAT BODY AND ACTING AS A LEG SUPPORT FOR THE SEAT PART, THE EXTENSION PORTION OF THE SEAT PART BEING DISPOSED TO ENGAGE THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SUPPORT SURFACE WHILE RETAINING THE BODY OF THE SEAT PART IN A PREDETERMINED ANGULAR POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE SUPPORT SURFACE. 